Dam for irrigating-ditches



(No Model.) I

W. 'BIGE LOW DAM FOR'IRRIGA-TING BITCHES.

" Elm 289,959 Patented Dec; 11', 1883.

' ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. BIGELOW, OF WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA.

DAM FOR lRRlGATlNG-DITCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,959, dated December 11, 188?.

Application filed May 14, 1983. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BIGELOW, of Worthington, in the county of Noblesandf Improved Dam for Irrigating-Ditches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention consists of a sheet of canvas, leather, or other fabric or substance, having one end attached to a bar of wood or other material, said bar being longer than the width of the skin or fabric and projecting a suitable distance each side thereof, to reach across the ditch and lie on the banks, while the canvas or other sheet lies in the ditch, with its lower end extended upstream a suitable distance in this case being to lay the'device in the ditch and drive a few pegs through the lower end when damming the stream, and for taking up the dam it is only required to take the stick in one hand and pull up the pegs by the sheet of canvas or other web, all as hereinafter fully described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures. V

Figure 1 isa plan View of an irrigating ditch and branches with my improved dam applied in two positions, one of which represents the water stopped by the dam and the other rep by a, and the branches are marked 6. resents the sheet of canvas or any other web resents the dam laid in an empty ditch; and

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of I 1. I State of Minnesota, have invented a new and I The main channel of the ditch is represented a repof material-as a skin-suitable for laying in the ditch and stopping the water by packing on the banks to hold the end nailed to it upabovethe level of the water. The other end of the sheet is secured to the bottom of the ditch by nails e or pegs of any kind. The sheet 0 is vto be enough longer than the depth of the ditch and wider than the ditch to be curved and bulged downward in the middle portion for the end and sides to 'lap the surface of the bottom and sides of the ditch sufficiently to pack tightly thereon by the pressure of the water.

The sides and end of the dam lying on the bottom and sides of the ditch may be stiffened with wire corded inthem, to be used, instead of the pegs, for causing the dam to resist the pressure of the water, and I propose to make them so when preferred.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1 The combination, with an irrigating-ditch, of a dam consisting of a canvas or other flexible sheet, 0. and a cross-bar, d, said sheet 0 being wider than the ditch and longer than the depth, and being pegged to the bottom, and bulged against the sides of the ditch by the water, substantially as described.

WILLIAM H. BIGELOW. 

